In the F4 Meeting, Hokage's office.
*Wham!*
"Why didn't you say it sooner?! Complying with their greedy demands won't be enough for them! Sooner or later, they will take a mile and bleed us to death!"
At this point, fury ignited within Danzo's heart and overflowed, slamming his hand on the desk.
The thought of backing down to that Uchiha Brat's desires felt suffocating and constantly prickling his sanity.
"He's right, Hiruzen! Giving them a valuable forbidden jutsu would be detrimental to our current standings!"
"Precisely! And what if the kid doesn't withhold his promise and reveal the forbidden jutsu from his wretched clan? Don't forget about Sensei's wish to decimate this wretched lineage!"
Therefore, this aggressive stance was furthermore pushed by Koharu and Homura on the side, being extremely vocal about their antagonistic outlook on the entirety of Uchiha's unbridled audacity.
"Then do you have any solution to this troublesome subject?" Hiruzen's face darkened.
For a moment, the atmosphere went into stillness. The other three flinched once they heard Hiruzen's apparent helplessness in his hoarse voice.
The chirps of cicadas and the evening cold breeze smelled like damp leaves exacerbating the thoughts churning in their minds.
What Yoichi did was a psychological suspense, subtly loosening the non-existent guillotine in their heads like a Sword of Damocles.
The child remained sitting still, knowing that his position had the higher ground once he unveiled these risky rumors in front of the public.
Hearsay could be destructive since trust cannot be easily cultivated and in one singular slip, the public's whims would soon drastically turn away from their side.
Moreover, the Uchiha Clan is still on the loose. This privileged yet defiant lineage has remained strong to this day, consolidating its widely known strength in such tremendous digits.
"As was foreseeable, even you three couldn't provide me a reasonable solution." Hiruzen let out a weak sigh, very much powerless to change the tides in their favor.
"Meeting will now be adjourned. I consider this matter...concluded."
For the first time, Hiruzen's vulnerable expression was displayed in front of them. The three lowered their heads yet the whirling hatred gleamed in their eyes, eventually leaving the office without any words to let out.
Danzo, Koharu, and Homura exchanged glances with each other.
Although this gesture felt ambiguous, the inkling of an indication as former teammates in the past became implicitly expressed in a mere glance.
That this isn't the end.
With a nod to each other, the three left for their respective positions and began to independently form a plan to demolish this arrogant clan once and for all.
...
...
...
「Soul Power +1」
"Hoooh! This is much harder than I anticipated!"
After he went to the Senju Clan, Yoichi then hunted in the nearby forest behind his house instead of training to death.
The reason?
Devouring souls using Soul Eater.
As a result of his expedition, he killed a wide variety of wild boar, a snake, a spider, and even an earthworm.
The 4 points of Soul Power were merely inconsequential yet Yoichi has still been trying to find other animals or insects around.
Thanks to the otherworldly sensations he felt, Yoichi had become addicted.
By 8 P.M. Yoichi went inside the house and took a cleaver. To process the wild boar he successfully hunted, his unimaginable strength was exerted through the layers of tough hide and formidable muscle fibers.
Ah, I thoroughly butchered it.
The result was disastrous as the uneven slices along the bones and muscular parts left some meaty flesh.
Wiping the sweat formed on his forehead, Yoichi felt fulfilled as he hung the whole chopped meat amidst the warm wind of the summer night.
Next, he trimmed the fat from the flesh and marinated it in the container with a bunch of seasonings always available to be used for cooking.
"I wonder what I'll taste like after drying this into jerky! But for now, I'll take a rest and continue to practice tomorrow."
After doing the everyday routine, he tucked himself into the blanket and soundly fell asleep.
Although the day was eventful, Yoichi did not mind any sort of butterfly effect or other disastrous thing in the future.
He planned to promote Martial Arts into the Shinobi World and was ready to step on someone's foot, even if it meant destroying their preconceived belief in the prospect of Chakra and the shinobi system as a whole society.
...
...
...
"I suppose you know why I called you here. Wolf, escort him." Hiruzen commanded.
After a hectic event yesterday, Yoichi was summoned as early as possible to the Hokage's office for his rightful reward.
Fortunately, Yoichi has been doing his everyday routine ever since Wolf urgently arrived uninvited at his home.
Thanks to his shady plan, Hiruzen conceded yet he couldn't look at the child properly due to an inner turmoil of mixed exasperation and disbelief.
"Blindfolds please."
Wolf, who was deeply jealous, passed a deep black cloth onto Yoichi's hand.
Envious because it was all the ANBU dreamed of. To get a bountiful reward in the Scroll of Seals for their dutiful service.
"Confidentiality huh... Alright then."
Yoichi wore the blindfold. The sudden darkness felt stifling and surreal yet the other 4 senses overworked to discern anything else in the current surroundings.
For a while, his senses gradually adjusted to a newfound sensation while he held Wolf's shoulder in the unknown destination.
Damp and high humidity air, scent of vibrant algae around, and echoing sounds ... Am I in a cavern or what? Yoichi thought.
Due to his increasing soul power, the perception of Yoichi became too incomprehensible to fathom.
Like a clear day, he could hear, smell, and feel anything in his surroundings with unmistakable precision. With the Detective at Work and Soul Eater, his awareness reached over 70 meters in radius; able to even hear breathing sounds in a high-frequency setting.
"Who are you?" A voice echoed.
The 4 ANBU operatives emerged from the shadows, glaring at the two with profound suspicion about their visit.
"Orders from the Hokage. Here's the report and verification." Wolf brought out the validation papers and passed them into the ANBU's hands.
This is some next-level security! Oh well, as expected of the Konoha's top-notch talents.
Yoichi mused. These 4 ANBU had been carefully protecting this vault for over years, dedicated to safeguarding these significant secrets against treasonous villagers or common adversaries such as foreign shinobi.
"Confirmation has been completed. You may now go. But remember, nothing inside the vault must come outside. Otherwise, we'll have to use force if necessary."
The 4 ANBU exchanged glances with each other and nodded, briefing the iron-handed rules with unrestricted murderous intent enveloped the kids.
"... Fair enough." Yoichi shrugged.
After the stifling intent was retracted, 1 of the ANBU protectors escorted Wolf outside while the rest opened the entrance for him.
*Click!*
Yoichi instinctively caught the cranking noises of the mechanism. The rumbling reverberated as the whole scene felt like a thunderous earthquake in the middle of the cave.
*Swoooshh!*
As the wind blew on his face, the 3 ANBU protectors escorted him into the depths of the vault, removing the blindfold from Yoichi's eyes.
"Wait... It's too much brighter here."
A blaring glare of the lights in his eyes soon made his eyelids flutter before he gradually recovered from it. Soon enough, the scent of the antique-like scrolls and the grainy fragrance of the wooden shelves assaulted his senses.
"You have only 10 minutes, kid. We'll be watching each of your moves so think wisely."
The 3 ANBU protectors presented a massive scroll in Yoichi's hands and turned around thoughtfully.
Oh wow! So this is Hashirama's huge ass scroll! How did they even manage to produce this kind of scroll?!
Yoichi pondered for a bit until he shook his head and browsed through all of the powerful forbidden techniques available in the scroll.
[Flying Thunder God Technique]
[Second Hokage's Water Release Guides]
[Summoning Jutsu: Rashōmon]
[Reaper Death Seal]
[Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu]
[Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Jutsu]
[Eight Inner Gates Technique]
[...]
Yoichi's pupils dilated in surprise.
Ranging from Hashirama's Wood Release Jutsu to Tobirama's insidious yet brilliant techniques, the catalogue of forbidden jutsu made his mouth feel salivating just by reading these jutsu.
However, Yoichi began to burn the Eight Inner Gates Technique in his mind, completely dismissing his desire to learn these forbidden jutsu.
In his defense, there's no point in trying to buy some time and read them since he is faithful to the Martial Arts Path.
This certain feeling of desire stemmed from the fact of how strong and useful. Also, a reincarnated man with general knowledge about these techniques appreciated their usage and importance in the Naruto Universe.
"I'm finished, good sirs. May I leave the room now?" Yoichi furled the scroll and passed it to the 3 ANBU protectors, successfully extracting what he really needed right now.
"Are you sure? There are still 5 minutes left..." One of the ANBU said.
"I'm alright, sir. I don't have to waste everyone's time here. I learn what I need, that's all."
Yoichi stretched his entire body, loosening his taut muscles due to the pressure he felt earlier.
"Wolf, blindfold him and accompany him back to the office."
Without further ado, the ANBU protector didn't argue further and made a directive order as a superior.
In the blink of an eye, Yoichi and Wolf walked away from the confidential area smoothly.
________________
(Current Progress)
[Realm: Muscle Tempering Stage]
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Perfection) 48/1000]
[Mountain Crushing Fist: (Small Success) 250/300]
[Lightning Spear Thrust: (Small Success) 247/300]
[Phantom Steps: (Great Success) 1/500]
[Secret Technique: Face Changing (Small Success) 0/300]
[Tickets: 1 Prismatic, 0 Gold, 0 Silver.]
[Attributes]
「Charm: 11」
「Soul Power: 16」
____________
Senior Brother TwinLoongs, thank you for the power stones! I appreciate it so much!
Thanks, everyone! Add the fanfic to your collections and comment if you like to do it! Anyways, see ya! XDD!